Tributes

Lula Mae Ernst Elliott was born in Brady, Texas on May 21, 1923, to Ova Lee Dodd and Montie Perry Dodd. During the Great Depression, her family moved frequently to secure employment to support the family. At the age of eleven, Mae attended a revival meeting under a brush arbor pavilion with her grandparents, and asked Jesus into her heart. This was the decision that, in her own words, set the course for her life “from a child of the Great Depression to a child of the King”. She was baptized in the San Saba River and was discipled as a member of Central Baptist Church in Brady until graduation from high school. Although Mae dreamed of going to college, as the oldest child she needed to help support her family. She received an invitation to move to San Antonio to live with a family from her church and to work at Kelly AFB. Mae became a member of Palm Heights Baptist Church where she met her future husband, Russell Ernst. They married in 1946 after his return from service in Germany during World War II. After fourteen years of marriage, Russell was hospitalized and passed away unexpectedly in 1960. Mae brought up their five children on the family homestead south of San Antonio. In her words, “I didn’t do it alone. The Lord was there to help me, and my children have made me very proud and thankful to God for their lives and influence.” In 1979, Mae married Alton “Buck” Elliott, a former high school classmate and retired Air Force pilot. Buck passed away in 1999. During her career, Mae worked in the Southside Independent School District, then returned to Kelly AFB to work as a stenographer and writer/editor, where she retired in 1984. In her retirement she worked at Southside Baptist Church and Harlandale Baptist Church, also serving as librarian in each church. She volunteered with Christian Women’s Job Corps and Friendship International at First Baptist, San Antonio. Mae passed away peacefully on January 9, 2021 and is with her Lord and Savior. Preceded in death by her parents and two sisters, Barbara Flores and Peggy Profili, Mae is survived by sisters Virginia Heider and Valera Denman, brothers Bobby Dodd and Billy Dodd, children David Ernst (Jackie), Bonnie Hearon (Thomas), Marcia Fitzsimmons (Burton), Sarabeth Ramsey (Wayne), and Theodore Ernst (Sharon), 14 grandchildren, 24 great-grandchildren, and three great-great-grandchildren. Throughout her life, Mae was known for her poetry, usually composed personally for those around her (especially family and fellow residents of Brookdale). Her writing, her smile, her kindness and her genuine interest in others won the hearts of many in her 97 years. A celebration of Mae’s life will be January 26 at 1:00 pm at First Baptist Church San Antonio, 515 McCullough Ave. The service can be livestreamed at this address: www.fbcsa.org/elliottservice. The family requests that memories be shared about Mae on this website. In lieu of flowers, gifts may be given in her memory to FBC San Antonio’s TV Ministry (https://fbcsa.org/giving) or to the Baptist University of the Americas (https://www.bua.edu/en/giving/). Funeral services will conclude at the church. There will be a private graveside service for immediate family only. We the family wish to express our appreciation to each of you for your expressions of sympathy.

Tributes

Mae Ernst Elliott

May 21, 1923 - January 9, 2021